AAS are voluntary guidelines for undertaking potentially risky activities in a manner designed to promote:
Safety for both participants and providers,
Protection for providers against legal liability claims and
criminal penalties,
Assistance in obtaining insurance cover.

AAS are NOT statutory standards by law. Legal liability for injuries or property damage is primarily governed by the law of Contract and Negligence which are described within each AAS introduction.

The Adventure Activity Standards (AAS) have been established as minimum standards for organisations conducting outdoor recreation activities for dependant groups (where participants have a level of dependence upon the leader(s).

The concept required appropriate consultation with commercial and community involvement so that a single and consistent set of guidelines could be established and agreed by the contributors, provide clarity to the sector and to the external stakeholder of safe and sustainable practices in the outdoors.

A consortium of four government agencies, Sport and Recreation Victoria (SRV), Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE), Parks Victoria (PV) and Tourism Victoria (TV) support and fund the project. The funding consortium has an ongoing role on the steering committee for the project ensuring that the AAS are endorsed and recognised by the Victorian State Government.

The necessity for minimum standards has arisen as the outdoor recreation sector continues to develop ‘best practice’. AAS do not expect best practice but do expect activities to be conducted in a manner appropriate to the specific organisation, the participants being led and the nature of the activity being undertaken. The ORC thoroughly support the pursuit of best practice by organisations which have the expertise and resources to optimise safety and quality of activities for participants and the environment.

AAS FAQ's:
Is compliance with AAS now the law in Victoria?
Have the Adventure Activity Standards been developed in response
to insurance issues?
Do my friends and I need to comply with the AAS? (Private recreation)
Are the Adventure Activity Standards ‘Best Practice’ in
commercial terms?
Are AAS going to be enforced as conditions of entry by land managers?
Documentation is time consuming, why do AAS expect documentation?
Do AAS apply equally to commercial and non-commercially led groups?
Do AAS replace the Department of Education and Training’s (DE&T)
Safety in Outdoor Adventure Activities Series (Safety Guidelines)?
Why do AAS refer to the competency-based system that is relatively
new and untested? And do the AAS recognise other learning pathways
such as tertiary education?

Select a topic to learn more about AAS:
Introductory Presentation
Fact Sheet
Overview
Content
Project Development
Criteria for the Working Parties
Selection / Nomination of Working Parties
The Review Process

For more information about the project and how to get involved contact Gordon Duff, the Project Manager, at the ORC Inc. office by phone (03) 9457 5432 or by Email info@orc.org.au.

To contact the AAS Review Commitee email AASreview@orc.org.au.